Improvement in electric annunciators



H. B. PORTER. Erle utric-Annunoiator.

\ No. 214,261. Patented April 15, 1879 INT/ENTOH: IV d-l m/fl.flilorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY B. PORTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN ELECTRIC ANNUNCIATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,261, dated April15, 1879; application filed October 11, 1878.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, HENRY B. PORTER, ofChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Annunciators, of whichthe following, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of an annunciatorembodying my invention; Fig. 2, an end elevation thereof; Fig. 3, asection in the plane of the line 00 x, viewed rearward or in thedirection of the rear of the annunciator Fig. 4, a section in the planeof the line y y, viewed toward the front or face; and Fig. 5, ahorizontal section in the plane of the line 2 2.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention consists in the several novel features of constructionhereinafter fully de scribed and specifically set forth, relating to themeans employed to raise or drop the doors or curtains of theannunciator; my object bein g to simplify the construction and operationof this part of the mechanism of devices of the class hereinbeforementioned.

In the drawings, A' represents a single helix, and a a are the exposedends of its core. B is an E-shaped armature, the ends or terminal armsof which are arranged to be attracted to the exposed parts a a when thehelix is magnetized, as shownin Fig. 2.

The armature B is either slightly yielding or so hinged that. the endarms, b b, will stand a little way from the parts a a when the helix isnot magnetized, as represented by the full lines in Fig. 2, it beingunderstood that they will move to or toward the helix when the latter ismagnetized, and move slightly from it automatically when it is not.

0 is the central arm of the armature. The arm 0 stands up in front ofthe helix, and sufficiently forward of it not to interfere withvibration of the armature.

I deem it preferable to make the armature yielding, in order to renderit operative in the manner described, and I have therefore placedunderneath it a light spring, d, which exerts its force against the rearor inner face of the armature.

O is the face of the annunciator, in which are made holes to expose thenumbers or char- .acters employed, as indicated at c in Fig. 1. D

is a door or curtain, hinged at its upper end to the rear side of theface 0, and so arranged that when closed it will appear in the openingover or behind which it is hung, and thus expose to view any number orcharacter upon the front side of the door, as shown in Fig. l. f is ahorizontal arm projecting rearward from the upper end of the door D. Eisa double crank or looped rod turning in hearings in the frame, and itsloop or interior crank, g, is so hung as to pass underneath and raisethe arm f when the exterior crank, g, is turned forward.

The up movement of the arm f raises the door D, and as the latter isthus swung back it strikes the arm 0, which yields, and then springsforward as soon as it is released by the up movement of the door D. Ifthe crank g be now released, the door D will fall upon the upper end ofthe arm 0, and be there supported by it. The crank y will then fall outof the way of the arm f, so as not to prevent the door D from falling toits original position when the support 0 is withdrawn, When thussupported the door or curtain D is in such a position that the number orcharacter thereon cannot be seen through the opening 0. All the numbers,therefore, may be thus obscured by turning the arm g in the properdirection, for it is to be understood that one crank or looped arm mayoperate in like manner in connection with a number of doors, or that asystem of such arms may be employed in connection with one arm forcontrolling them.

In order to show or exhibit in an opening, 6, the number or character onits door, it is only necessary to switch or shift the current throughthe helix controlling the armature which supports the door when thelatter is turned up or swung back in the manner de scribed. The armaturewill then be attracted to the core, and thus, passing from underneaththe door, the latter will fall vertically and expose its face in theopening in the face of the annunciator. When the magnet is inoperativethe support 0 will move forward again to support the door when it isnext raised.

F represents the circuit, which enters and leaves the helix in the usualmanner, and Gis a portion of the frame or case of the annunciator. Inother respects the annunciator may be made in any well-known or suitablemanner.

It will be perceived that the parts which constitute the essentialfeatures of my invention are very simple in their construction andoperation, and that they may be applied with facility to the purposesfor which they are intended.

These improvements may also be employed with little expense, and arereliable in their action, and not likely to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric annunciator, the single helix A, arranged horizontallyand having both ends of its core exposed, in combination with theE-shaped armature B, carrying the central arm, 0, the lateral arms I) I)being arranged for attraction to or toward the exposed ends a a,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In an electric annnnciator, the door or curtain D, hinged at itsupper end to the face of the annunciator, and arranged behind or over anopening therein, and provided with the arm f, in combination with acrank-arm arranged to engage the arm f, and with a supporting-armcarried by the armature, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

3. The combination, in an electric annunciator, of the single helix A,having both ends of its core exposed to its armature, the E- shapedarmature B, the hinged door or curtain D, provided with the arm f, thedouble crank E, and the open face, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

HENRY B. PORTER. Witnesses:

F. F. WARNER, JESSIE E. STUART.

